Talent and Organization - Iowa

By Caucus Day, Jan. 3, 2012,
six Republican presidential campaigns were actively competing in Iowa
and President Obama's re-election campaign was organizing as
well. Additionally several GOP candidates had built up
organizations but withdrew from the race before the caucuses.

Derek Eadon is
the Obama for America
state director. He directed Iowa Democrats' 2010 Coordinated
Campaign. Previously he was the Iowa state director for
Organizing for America. In the 2007-08 cycle he was the first
field organizer hired in Iowa for Obama's campaign, and continued on
the campaign through Nov. 2008. In the 2006 he was a field
organizer for the Coordinated Campaign in the Cedar Rapids area.
Originally from Elmhurst, Ill. twitter

Sen.
Kent
Sorenson of Indianola served as Bachmann's Iowa chairman for
most of the campaign before announcing his switch to Ron Paul on Dec.
28, 2011; he was
reported as a Bachmann supporter from March 2011, and had been serving
as de-facto
campaign manager. Sen. Brad Zaun
succeeded Sorenson as chair for the closing week of the campaign.
On Oct. 27, 2011, the Campaign announced Eric Woolson as campaign manager (he
was announced on Sept. 21 as leading Iowa communication efforts.
Woolson formerly served as state spokesman and senior consultant on the
Pawlenty for President campaign. He is president and CEO of The Concept Works, a
public, media and government relations and crisis management firm in
West Des Moines that he founded in 2002. Campaign manager for
Mike Huckabee's 2007-08 Iowa caucus campaign; started as coordinator of
Huckabee's Hope for America PAC in June 2006. Wes Enos is
political director. Enos is an independent contractor and a
member of the
Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee (since Sept.
2008). Candidate for State Senate in District 13, losing the June
2010 primary. In the 2008 cycle he served as Iowa political
director on Huckabee for President.

Following the June exodus of many consultants and
staff, the campaign is pursued a volunteer-oriented approach; House
Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, who endorsed Gingrich during his
Jan. 25,
2011 visit and was subsequently named chair of the campaign, continued
on board as did senior advisor on Iowa issues House Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Kaufmann.
In
mid-Nov.
2011
the
campaign
ramped
up
version
2.0
under
the
leadership
of senior advisors Craig
Schoenfeld and Katie Koberg.
Schoenfeld
served
as
Iowa
executive
director
of
the
first
iteration
of
Newt
2012 for a number of weeks and subsequently served
as executive director of Americans for Rick Perry. Koberg
likewise was deputy executive director of the first iteration of Newt
2012. As of Dec. 10 the campaign had a total of seven staff.

Jake Porter is
state director. Jimmy Morrison
served as Iowa advance coordinator for the OUR America
Initiative. He is
a filmmaker (JD Productions, LLC) from SE Iowa. Founder of Iowa
Patients for Medical Marijuana.

Fred Karger

Nathan Treloar served as Karger's Iowa state director
through the end of June
2011 when he left the campaign role to take up a position in
Chicago. He was announced on Nov. 22, 2010. Treloar runs a
consulting firm
providing voter outreach and communications services. He managed
Mark Rees' June 2010 primary campaign in Iowa's 3rd CD. He worked
as communications director, House Majority Fund finance director and a
county organizer for the Republican Party of Iowa. Degree in
political science from Iowa State University. Native of Ogden,
Iowa (Boone County). Ted Coppock,
who
works
in
insurance
in
the
Des
Moines
area,
is
a
key
Karger
supporter
from
early
on.

Drew Ivers is
chairman of Paul's campaign committee. Ivers served as Iowa
campaign chairman for Paul in 2008. He was Iowa campaign chair
for Pat Buchanan in 1996 and 2000. Iowa campaign chairman for Pat
Robertson in 1988; chaired Robertson's state-wide organization that led
to the creation of the initial 1989 Christian Coalition of Iowa (now
known as the Iowa Christian Alliance). District chair for Ronald
Reagan in 1980. Has served on many Iowa campaigns.
Republican State Central Committee member since 2010, and from
1984-88. Five-time Republican National Convention delegate.
Geneticist, retired after 35 years; has seven patents. Purple
Heart honoree for his U.S. Army service in Vietnam. Holds A.S.,
B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. David
Fischer and A.J. Spiker
are vice chairs. The committee officially opened its Iowa
headquarters and announced its Iowa staff on May 10, 2011. On
Sept. 9, 2011 the campaign announced that Michael Heath is succeeding Steve
Bierfeldt as executive
director (Bierfeldt moved over to lead the Nevada campaign).
Heath comes to the campaign from Maine.

Robert Haus is
chairman of the campaign and his
wife Ruth Haus is senior
consultant (announced Aug. 26, 2011). Robert Haus is vice
president of public affairs at Policy
Works, announced Nov. 2010. Co-founder and owner of Eagle
Media Group LLC. Iowa state director on Fred Thompson's 2007-08
Iowa caucus campaign. Managing consultant for public policy
and public affairs (corporate communications and issue campaigns) for
DCI Group, 2000-06. Senior Iowa
consultant on Steve Forbes' 2000 Iowa caucus campaign. Managed
Sen.
Phil Gramm's 1996 Iowa caucus campaign. Managed Sen. Chuck
Grassley's
1992 re-election campaign. Worked for the Iowa Senate Republican
Caucus. Graduate of Iowa State University; law degree from the
University
of Iowa, 1988.
Ruth Haus is president of
Living History Farms. Co-founder and owner of Eagle
Media Group LLC. CEO of the Des Moines
Symphony, 2002-07. Deputy campaign manager on Steve Forbes' 2000
presidential campaign. Deputy political director at the RNC,
1994-97. Worked in the Offices of Intergovernmental Affairs and
Political Affairs at the White House, 1989-92. M.B.A. from The
College of William and Mary, 2002; B.B.A. from The George Washington
University, School of Business, 1988. Originally from Greenwich,
CT. Matt Gronewald is
state director (announced Aug. 26, 2011). He left
his position as deputy executive director of the Republican Party of
Iowa to join Perry's team. In April he served briefly as Iowa
director/consultant at Haley's PAC. Previously he served as House
Majority
Fund director, July
2007-Dec. 2010. Gronewald worked on John McCain's Iowa cacus
effort,
mid-2006 to mid-2007, starting with Straight Talk
America in June 2006 directing day to day ops on the ground.

Sara Craig is
state director
starting May 2011. Consultant
at
Redwave
Communications.
Managed
Lt.
Gov.
Ron
Ramsey's
primary
campaign
for
Governor
of
Tennessee.
Legislative
caucus
director
and
executive
director
of
the
North
Dakota
Republican
Party,
2008.
Central
Iowa
field
director
on
Romney's
2007-08
Iowa
caucus
campaign,
and
continued
on
with
the
campaign
to
Michigan,
Florida,
and
Minnesota.
Western
Iowa
field
director
for
the
Legislative
Majority
Fund
at
the
Republican
Party
of
Iowa
in
the
2006
cycle.
Degrees in political science and journalism from
Marquette University. Phil
Valenziano is field director, and on May 27 the campaign
announced its Iowa Leadership Team.

On April 21, 2011 Sen. Santorum announced that Cody Brown, who managed Ben Lange's
2010 congressional campaign in CD-1, will manage the testing the waters
effort in Iowa and LucasDraisey, former chairman of the Iowa
Federation of College Republicans, will serve as field director.
Continuing as advisors areNick Ryan and Jill Latham , whom Santorum's Iowa
Keystone PAC signed up in Jan. 2011. Ryan founded and Latham is a
principal at the Concordia
Group LLC in Des Moines. Ryan helped found the American
Future Fund 501(c)(4) indep. expenditure group and worked for Jim
Nussle for seven years. Latham was political director on Mitt
Romney's 2007-08 Iowa caucus camapign.

On Oct. 20, 2011 the campaign announced Steve Grubbs as chairman; earlier,
on July 5 campaign announced Larry
Tuel as
state director, as well as three field staff and headquarters in
Urbandale.
Prior to Tuel, Tina Goff had served as
Iowa organizational director; The
Iowa Republican reported her resignation on July 1,
2011. She cited a lack of commitment by Cain to campaigning in
the state (same reasons
cited by Matt Murphy who resigned in New Hampshire). The Iowa Republican also reported
the resignation of
Straw Poll coordinator Kevin Hall.

Chris Rants is
consultant/senior advisor. He served 18 years in the Iowa House
of Representatives
from 1993-2010
representing Sioux City. Rants was elected Speaker Nov. 12, 2002
and continued through 2006 elections; from 2007 he served as Minority
Leader. President of inSight Communications and partner at
Rauschenberger Partners, both from first part of 2010. Policy
consultant to the Terry Branstad gubernatorial campaign in 2010.
Advisor to Mitt Romney's 2008 Iowa caucus campaign (announced Sept. 27,
2006). Rants served as environmental compliance director of Metz
Baking Company, 1992-99. B.A. from Morningside College,
1989.

The exploratory committee was first to open an office,
and on April 29, 2011 announced a full team led by Erik Helland, who is the House
Majority Whip, as state director and including ten field
representatives. Eric Woolson,
president
and
CEO
of
The
Concept
Works
and
veteran
of
the
Huckabee
and
George
W.
Bush
caucus
campaigns,
is
doing
communications
and
Chuck
Larson and Karen Slifka
are advisors.
Pawlenty has done the most to build up an Iowa team starting back in
the pre-campaign period. Freedom First PAC senior advisors Terry Nelson and Sarah Taylor, on board since Oct.
2009, have considerable Iowa experience. Nelson is from
Marshalltown, graduated from University of Iowa (1994), and managed Jim
Nussle's campaign in the early 90s. Taylor is from Dubuque, a
graduate of Drake University (1997) and worked on Phil Gramm's Iowa
campaign in 1995-96. National political director Jon Seaton also has Iowa experience,
having served as state director on McCain's 2007-08 Iowa caucus
campaign.

On July 5, 2011 AFPR announced Craig Schoenfeld as executive
director
of its Iowa organization. Schoenfeld served as executive director
of Newt Gingrich's effort for about a month (first reported April 20,
announced May 13; resigned June 9, 2011) Attorney at Wasker,
Dorr, Wimmer &
Marcouiller in West Des Moines; also runs a public affairs consulting
firm, C. Robert & Associates, which he established in 1994.
Executive director of George Pataki's 21st Century Freedom State PAC
Sept.-Nov. 2006. Managed Rep. Greg Ganske's 2002 campaign for
Senate through late 2001. Communications director for the Iowa
Republican Party. Political director of Iowa Victory 2000.
Political director of Iowa Victory 2000. Caucus planning director
on Bush's 2000 Iowa caucus campaign (starting Sept. 1999 worked in
tandem with the campaign's field operations, preparing county and
precinct leaders and supporters for the intricacies of the Iowa caucus
process). Director of communications for the Iowa House
Republican Caucus 1999-2000. Analyst/legal counsel to the House
Republican Caucus from 1994-98. M.A. and J.D. from Drake
University, 1994. B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point, 1991. Raised on a farm in Beaver Dam, WI.

Roy Moore

Moore's Iowa team of chairman Danny
Carroll, advisor Cary Gordon,
and
strategist
Tom Steen have resigned effective June 14,
2011 (+).
Starting
with
the
exploratory
announcement
tour
in
April,
former
State
Rep.
Danny
Carroll headed Moore's effort in Iowa.
Lobbyist/independent contractor for The Family Leader; also a principal
with Truth, Values & Leadership. Served as chairman of the
board at Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC), the Iowa ministry affiliate
of Focus on the Family, from 2008-10, when it became part of The Family
Leader. Ran for chairman of the Iowa Republican Party in Jan.
2009, finishing second to Matt Strawn. Elected to the Iowa House
of Representatives in 1994 and seved through 2006 when he was defeated
by Eric Palmer (D); also lost 2008 re-match. Member of the
Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors, Jan. 1984-Dec. 1994.
Carroll lives south of Grinnell and he and his wife run Carroll's
Pumpkin Farm; he also also served as director of community relations
for Iowa Telecom. B.S. in business administration from Milligan
College in Johnston City, TN. Tom
Steen, president of Truth, Values & Leadership, served as
COO of IFPC from 2009-10. He previously had a 30 year career in
corporate finance. Cary Gordon
is pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City.